Researchers at Yonsei University, the Korea Basic Science Institution, and the Yonsei University College of Medicine, all in South Korea, have developed a way to maximize the heat produced by magnetic nanoparticles to treat cancer. Magnetic particles, when exposed to electromagnetic waves, produce heat, which, if great enough, can kill cancer cells. The challenge is how to generate enough heat. The Korean researchers used a theoretical model to probe the effect of nanoparticle diameter, composition and magnetization on magnetic heating power, and, in so doing, found the optimal ranges for heat generation. Nanoparticles that had the properties that allowed them to respond in these ranges had a cobalt-iron oxide core and a manganese-iron oxide shell. The team tested the nanoparticles on mice and found tumors on mice treated with the nanoparticles completely disappeared, while the control mice experienced a multifold increase in tumor size. Jinwoo Cheon, one of the researchers, said, “In the continuation of our research, we intend to explore other nanoparticle candidates with enhanced heat generation capabilities. We will also test the therapeutic efficacy of the approach in other tumor models as well as in vivo toxicity assessment and mass production of the nanoparticles.”